The Woman in the Photo
by nimuaithewitch
Summary: He went 12 years of his life knowing her only as the pink-haired woman in the photo on his roommate's dresser. Now he's looking at that familiar face at the other end of the bar and calculating an escape route. But, it turns out, this woman isn't just annoying. She's tough as nails and her own past might answer some questions about his. SasuSaku. Modern day detective AU.
1. Chapter 1: The Woman in the Photo

He was seventeen years old when he saw her for the first time.

It was move-in day for his first year of college and there, on his roommate's dresser, was a picture. His roommate, blonde and obnoxious, was pictured laughing with a fair and equally bright young woman.

Her hair was pink. Pale pink, like cherry blossoms, he thought. But it wasn't her unusual hair that drew him in; it was her eyes. Green like ocean his family visited when he was child. Their color was almost unnatural. Seafoam. Bright. Intelligent.

They glowed.

His roommate, having been previously engaged with sorting his stacks of instant ramen, turned his attention to Sasuke. Naruto followed his gaze to the photo.

"What ya staring at, weirdo?" Naruto asked with playful suspicion. Sasuke rolled his eyes; Naruto was awful familiar for someone he met in person just that morning; it was irritating already.

"Who's your friend?" Sasuke asked, pointing to the pink-haired girl.

"That's Sakura. She's my best friend!"

"She has pink hair." Sasuke said lamely.

"No shit. But don't tell her that." Naruto replied. "She always claims it's 'strawberry blonde.' But, nah, it's straight up pink, you know?"

Sasuke hummed in response, but Naruto continued.

"That's, like, her natural color." Naruto explained.

Sasuke shot him a skeptical look. Naruto raise his hand defensively.

"I'm serious! I've known her since fucking kindergarten. Her hair has always been that color. She doesn't dye it. I mean, her name _is_ Sakura, I guess it makes sense… But she's pretty cool. She's doing her pre-med at John Hopkins 'cause she's a fuckin' genius." A blush blossomed on Naruto's cheeks as he spoke.

And Sasuke, for reasons he didn't understand, did not like that blush on Naruto's cheeks.

"She's going to come visit over fall break!"

* * *

Naruto drove Sasuke fucking crazy, but either Sasuke didn't show it enough or Naruto was really that oblivious, because the idiot seemed to think they were best friends.

But, as freshman year came to a close, Sasuke found himself dreading moving out. Naruto, he almost hated to admit, connected with him in a way that others couldn't. He was an orphan from birth, alone most of his life and was shifted around the system until his godfather reconnected with him and intervened.

Sasuke was alone too, but he was new to his aloneness. He was 16 when his mother, father, brother, and brother's girlfriend, Izumi, drove off and never came back. He had a cousin on the west coast, but that was it. He didn't have any other family. He kicked his own ass to college.

They were two kids together in their aloneness and the random draw of college roommates brought them together.

And they remained roommates for the next 12 years.

He guessed they'd rather be pissed off at the world together than pissed off alone.

* * *

If Sakura came to visit over fall break, Sasuke never heard about it. While he was mildly curious to meet Naruto's brilliant pink-haired friend, he'd been visiting a friend in his hometown on the day she was set to arrive and when he had returned, she was nowhere to be found. Something seemed to have happened because Naruto was unusually quiet and tolerable for the next few weeks and the photo of Sakura was gone.

* * *

It was during finals week of his freshman year that Sakura's name came up again.

"I just don't understand! She's brilliant. She earned a great scholarship. I know it doesn't cover everything, but... The hell is she thinking?" Naruto whined from his desk. Sasuke spared him only a glance before returning his attentions to his study guide.

"She doesn't need to do this. What if she gets hurt? I mean, don't get me wrong, she regularly kicked my ass growing up, but like… she's… small…"

"Hn."

"Like, it's not fair. It's-" Sasuke slammed his laptop shut and got up.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"Library because you won't shut up." And with that, Sasuke closed the door behind him.

Apparently the pink-haired, green-eyed woman was dropping out of John Hopkins to enlist in the army.

All Sasuke could think about was those glowing green eyes but heavy, like his, with the knowledge of death and loss.

He shook the thought from his head and carried on.

* * *

When they returned to school the following fall, the picture of her had returned to Naruto's dresser.

When Sasuke was alone in the room, sometimes he'd glance at that photo and find himself wondering what her voice sounded like.

* * *

He never found out what her voice sounded like. She was busy, too far away.

One time Naruto hinted that she was purposefully distant because of whatever had happened during that fall break in freshman year, but he had never explained anything beyond a hint and Sasuke didn't care enough to ask.

Still, sometimes he'd find his roommate on joyous, animated phone calls with Sakura. When they moved to an apartment in junior year, he'd find letters with her name listed with the return address.

She always sent Naruto a Christmas and birthday present. One time, she'd sent a package filled with German candy she'd picked up while briefly stationed in Europe. The package had been address to both Naruto and Sasuke and her note had said in neat script:

_...Sasuke, don't let Naruto hog all of the candy. Be sure you hide your share away for yourself..._

He didn't eat any; he doesn't like sweets.

But, he now knew she was aware of his existence; that was enough.

* * *

He shook off that thought quickly. He didn't even know her. It was creepy.

* * *

So the grew out of their teenage years and into adulthood. Not much changed.

Sasuke and Naruto remained roommates even after college. Naruto still annoyed the shit out of him. Sasuke continued to choose being annoyed in favor of being alone.

Sakura sent packages for Christmas.

Sasuke's family was gone.

* * *

And yet, everything had changed.

He had always wanted to be a lawyer. For as long as he could remember, he said he'd be a lawyer. But as his final semester of college approved, he didn't apply for law school. His father's expectations seemed to still influence him.

He applied for the Police Academy. Naruto, whose interest had always been in politics, had proved to have been too relaxed as a student. He moped for a whole day over his rejection letters to grad school before changing gears and deciding to apply to the Police Academy as well.

"_I mean, I've got a criminal law and justice degree, so it seems like a good idea, you know?"_

Sasuke had briefly been horrified, but not much changed and he was thankful he didn't have to go back to being alone. They stayed in their apartment. They graduated from the academy and got jobs. After a few years, Sasuke was promoted to a detective and Naruto followed him shortly after. Their new captain made them partners, apparently, if rumors were to be believed, because he thought no one else would be able to put up with them. They moved to a townhouse on the other side of the river.

The picture of the pink-haired girl sat on the mantle above the fireplace. Her green eyes still glowed.

* * *

January 23rd.

He had six more months.

Six more months until he turns thirty.

_Fuck._

He stares at his phone, still illuminated the contact screen pulled up.

_Sakura Haruno_

_415-948-3929_

His finger hovered above the call button and then the message button until the screen finally turned off from inactivity. He tossed the phone aside and let his mind recall the conversation that got him in this predicament.

"_Hey, I gotta ask you a favor." Naruto said from the other end of the phone._

"_Hm?"_

"_You know how I told you Sakura was moving back to town?"_

"_For her residency."_

"_Yeah, well, I've got too much going on with the campaign down here in Richmond this week and then next week we start touring all the way down in southern Virginia… Bristol, then Blacksburg… Anyway, I told Sakura I'd help her move, but I don't think I'll be able to get back to DC until the end of February."_

"_And?"_

"_Ugh, learn to take a hint, Sasuke. Will you help Sakura for me?"_

"_It's not my fault you're shit and managing your own schedule. Doesn't she have other friends that can help?"_

"_Well, yeah, but-"_

"_No."_

"_Don't be an asshole about-"_

"_I don't even know her."_

"_Alright, well, I think you guys would get along."_

"_..."_

"_Look you don't have to help her move, just like, take her out and show her around the neighborhood. She's in a building just a few blocks from us; it'd be nice and I actually think you guys would get along. I'm gonna share her contact with you."_

"_That does not sound like something I want to do."_

"_Just think about it, okay?"_

* * *

Normally, Sasuke would have just blown Naruto off, but he actually wanted to meet her. He wanted to show her the neighborhood and that was a whole new level of annoying that he wasn't sure he was equipped to deal with.

So he did nothing.

He buried in face in his hands.

Dammit.

He was going to be thirty in six months.

**_...TBC..._**

* * *

**A/N:** Well, folks, I've been slowly pecking away at my MinaKushi fic; I want to write half of it before I continue to publish it on here, but I promise it's coming.

In the meantime, I've been on a SasuSaku kick lately. I used to not like this pairing back when the manga was ongoing, but man, I love them now.

I've been wanting to write a modern day detective!Sasuke and doctor!Sakura fic for a while. I was originally going to set it a western US city (I was thinking Denver), but the more I worked on the plot, the more I wanted to add a political twist…. So it's in DC so that all of that will make sense.

I'm not very familiar with DC or really city life in general…. So please forgive me locals. Suspend your disbelief. And please, feel free to offer suggestions.

_i do not own naruto_


	2. Chapter 2: Seeing Her (Beyond the Photo)

There she was. It was pure chance and there she was, seated at the opposite end of the bar like it was a fucking movie.

The bartender set his drink on a napkin. Old Fashioned. On the rocks. The condensation was already beginning to collect on the glass.

He briefly thought about how that didn't make sense because it was the dead of winter.

He looked up from the glass and straight into those green eyes.

_Shit. _

She was looking right at him.

* * *

_**((Days earlier))**_

January turned to February and Sasuke continued with his life as normal. Normal did not include calling Sakura Haruno.

But then it started happening.

It started on February 4th. It was Monday. On Monday's, just coffee doesn't do it and he stops at the coffee shop just down the street on his way to the station for an extra shot of espresso.

He'd ordered ahead on his phone, as always, and was reaching for the cup labeled "Sasuke" (a perk of ordering on his phone: they fucking spelled his name correctly) when he saw it.

_Pink. _

He felt a little embarrassed that he recognized that shade instantly, but it couldn't be anyone else. She stood in the line, facing away from him, and looking at her phone.

He grabbed the cup and left immediately.

Two days later he was driving along 10th when he spotted pink again. She was jogging down the street in a puffy jacket and black leggings. He averted his eyes and put pressure on the gas pedal.

The day after that _he'd_ been jogging and took a detour through the drive in Quincy Park when he spotted her distinct pink head leaning down while she pet a stray cat. He jogged faster.

A few days later, he was driving west on 66 and looked over at the car in the lane next to him only to see her.

He thought it was just chance. Chance, her pink hair, and his tendency to be overly perceptive. Naruto had said she was just a few blocks away. How many people in his neighborhood did he see regularly but just didn't notice because they didn't have pink hair and an ass that looked like a peach in those annoying black leggings?

Jesus Christ, he'd stared at her ass.

He saw her at the library, the cereal aisle of the grocery store, the bakery on the corner of 15th and Courthouse during his lunch break.

He once pulled into a gas station only to turn around when he saw her standing next to her car at the pump.

There was one close call where he'd reluctantly gone for a drink after work with Kiba and Shikamaru (he didn't mind his new partner, Shikamaru, but Kiba pissed him off) and he'd spotted her in line for the bathroom with Ino, a friend of Naruto, Shikamaru, and, apparently, Sakura's. He bolted before Ino could notice him.

When Kiba asked about it at work the next day, he lamely offered that he'd forgotten to finish the report on a home robbery case.

Kiba rolled his eyes.

Two weeks went by and the frequency at which he spotted her only increased. One time her saw he three times in one day. He had literally woken up, looked out his window, and there she was, jogging down the street in her stupid puffy jacket and black leggings.

The universe must be fucking with him. There was no way any of this was just chance. Something, somewhere was punishing him.

* * *

The phone rang four times before Naruto answered.

"Hey, man, what's up?"

"Are you going to be back home this week?"

"Uhh… Yeah, let me see…"

He heard the tapping of Naruto pulling up his calendar app.

"Nah man, we added a rally in Newport News, and we got an interview in Richmond…"

"You said the end of February."

"Yeah, I know, shit's just getting crazy with this campaign. And fucking Jiraiya doesn't make it easy. Jesus, who thought it'd be a good idea for him to run for Congress?"

"Who thought it'd be a good idea to take leave and work on his campaign?"

"Shut up, yeah well… geez, ya must miss me, huh? Sasuke a little lonely?"

Sasuke said nothing.

"Hey," Naruto asked. "Did you ever meet up with Sakura?"

"Hn." Sasuke paused and added. "I've seen her around."

"The fuck does that mean? Look just-" Naruto was interrupted by commotion and yelling from his end.

"_Quiet your asses down, I'm on the phone!" _Sasuke heard muffled through the phone.

"_Naruto get your ass in here, McCoy just put this shit out! You need to take a look at it!" _Another muffled voice called followed by the scratching sounds of Naruto moving the phone back to his ear.

"Hey, bud, listen, I gotta go, but you should really text her… Look, I know this time of the year is hard for you and if I could come back, I would but… I just think her company might do you both some good…"

Sasuke hung up.

The fuck did Naruto know any way.

* * *

He kept seeing her with with increasing frequency until…

He didn't anymore.

Funny, how she seemed to just disappear right before _that_ day.

He stopped thinking about her.

It was _that day_. _The_ day.

In college, he'd skip class, get fucked up, and pass out until the day was over. Naruto didn't ask. The idiot figured it out somehow. He always had a bottle of Jack ready for him.

He'd dissociate for days. One time, someone was sent to do a wellness check. He didn't remember any of the questions they had asked. They tried to lead him outside to a car. A blue car. He couldn't tell you if it was a Camry or what, but it was a blue sedan and he would not-could not get in that car. He was dizzy, his chest had hurt, it felt like his lungs couldn't-wouldn't expand. Naruto had been there, yelling about something…

_What the fuck was wrong with him?_

He'd been better through the years.

A diagnosis and therapy had helped. He had once been afraid of admitting something was different after _it _had happened. He had been afraid of a diagnosis, confirmation that he wasn't the same, not entirely.

Afraid it would keep him from his goals.

It hadn't.

Not getting treating might've.

He wouldn't know now. He didn't think about it.

He tried not to think about it.

* * *

In 2005, it had been President's Day. This year, it was just a stupid, normal Thursday.

**_...TBC..._**

* * *

**A/N:** I'm going to have the companion to this chapter up soon.

Please offer input on my portrayal of Sasuke's PTSD. I've read a few articles about other's experiences with PTSD, but I'm still learning. Unlike in the manga, I wanted to Sasuke of this world to get the treatment he needed at a young age because I think that's important and it's pretty shitty how the manga/anime doesn't really acknowledge how fucked up Sasuke's childhood was and, like, how he should have gotten help but didn't? Any way...

_i don't own naruto._


	3. Chapter 3: That Day

He hadn't seen her for three days.

At least, he hadn't seen her beyond that photo on his mantle.

* * *

**((Years ago))**

_He woke up to a numb pain that grew into a sharp pain. His left eye wouldn't open. He tried to lean up but_—

_"Augh!" A sharp pain sent him back to laying on the sof_—_Where the fuck was he?_

_"What the fuck…" He moaned._

_"See that's what I said. Like at least two hundred times last night." It was Naruto, laying in a recliner, seemingly immobile, swollen, bruised, and bloody._

_"What the fuck happened to you?" Sasuke mumbled._

_"You, you jackass." Naruto spat back and glared for a moment before he followed it up with a chuckle._

_"You got fucked up before noon yesterday, but you usually do that this time of the year so I just went along with it, you know, and next thing I know we're all the way in Dupont at a dive bar, the one with the hilarious name… what's it called…? The safari themed one, you know?" Naruto paused but Sasuke didn't offer a reply._

_"Anyway, this fucking asshole starts spewing some racist shit and suddenly you went all vigilante on the dude, he deserved it, but like, you fuckin' raged on him dude. I thought you were gonna beat him to death, so I grabbed you, and at this point the fuckin' bouncer grabbed us both, and threw us right in the middle of Connecticut._

_And that's when you got the idea to beat the shit out of me, but fuck if I'd let you do that… So I beat the shit out of you, right in the fuckin' middle of Connecticut."_

_Naruto stopped there and sighed. The idiot smiled._

_"What's that look for?" Sasuke muttered._

_"It's just, you're gonna be so pissed about what happened next."_

_"I'm already pissed."_

_"Yeah, but like, you're eternally pissed. This is gonna increase your 'pissed' level by at least ten."_

_If Sasuke was the sort to roll his eyes, he would have rolled his eyes._

_"Okay, so obviously, two shitfaced assholes fighting in the middle of the fuckin' street gets the cops called, and we, well at least, me, you were a little out at that point, try to flee, but ya know, there was the whole shitfaced part…. So yeah, we got taken in."_

_"Shit."_

_"But don't worry dude, Old Man Sarutobi got us out. Well, for now. You know, that asshole owes me anyway."_

_"...Sarutobi? Like director of the FBI Sarutobi?" Sasuke suddenly felt like puking._

_"Yeah, dick, you've met him. Old family friend of mine."_

_"...fuck."_

_"...yep."_

_"Well, I guess my chances of getting an internship with the FBI this summer are zero."_

_"Did you just make a fucking joke, Uchiha?" Naruto laughed and they sat in silence for a moment._

_"So, where are we?"_

_"The old man's place. You really don't remember? Well, we're dead when he gets back, so I guess it doesn't matter anyway…"_

_They sat in silence again._

_"What is it, anyway?" Naruto asked. He looked unusually small in that moment, like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to ask that question. "This time of the year… what-What happened? Is it, uh, when_—"

_Sasuke sucked in his breath before saying it. Naruto already knew. He knew his parents were dead; it was something they had in common... But he'd never told him the details. __He never told him about Itachi. __Naruto didn't know it was _that _day. _

_"My parents died. And my brother's girlfriend. Car crash. My brother too, I guess."_

_"You guess?"_

_"They never found the body… Just a bloody trail in the snow. The cops, they think he went to get help and got lost."_

_"Shit."_

_Sasuke said nothing. He didn't talk about it ever, especially not on _that_ day. But, he he was, beaten and sore, acknowledging_ it _for the first time in years. It was the day he lost everyone he cared about. He could feel tears at the admission._

_"I'm sorry. I know… I know_—_I get it. Doing what you do, to cope…on that day."_

_"When?" Sasuke asks. Naruto gets his meaning _'When did your parents die?' _Sasuke couldn't think of when Naruto annually went down a bender other than_—

_"My birthday."_

_Oh. That made sense. Sasuke let out a short 'ha.'_

_"That's shit."_

_"Tell me a-fuckin-bout it."_

_Silence._

_"So, uh," Naruto started, "We gotta do something about this. We need to get some fucking help, man."_

_It wasn't that easy but, they got some fucking help._

* * *

If anything _had_ held him back, it was the charges he got that night. Assault. Under-age drinking. Possessing a fake ID. Public drunkenness…

He'd really fucked himself over there, but he _had_ changed.

Sure, law school didn't work out, but, against all odds, he still became a detective before he turned thirty. A recommendation from a former FBI director hadn't hurt either...

PTSD was still shit, but he was better. Better than back then.

It didn't make _that_ day any easier though. He was just more… functional.

So he sat at his desk, at 8am, writing a report about a bike shop robbery he'd investigated last week and let that distract him while the office was still relatively quiet.

"I'm just saying, why did _we_ have to work on President's Day? It was a fucking ghost town around here, what the hell was gonna happen?"

"I don't know, Inuzuka, the same day-to-day shit as usual?" Sasuke's new partner replied to the ever obnoxious K-9 officer. Shikamaru set his coffee down on his desk and sighed.

Sasuke liked Detective Nara. He was new to the force, new to Arlington County. He'd worked with the Diplomatic Security Service for years and then Capitol Police; he was experienced and versatile. Shikamaru was relatively calm, reserved, and pretty damn sharp. All qualities that Sasuke liked in a person (Ironically, also all qualities that Naruto distinctly lacked...).

They had similar upbringings, both the sons of cops, great-grandson's of immigrants, brought up in rather traditional Japanese-American families.

He could be pretentious, but Sasuke figured Nara was the best Kakashi could do when it came to finding a temporary partner for him while Naruto was on leave to work on Jiraiya's senate campaign.

(Shikamaru, coincidentally, was an old friend of Naruto's from high school. It was Naruto that initially encouraged Shikamaru to apply for the open position.)

Sasuke did not particularly care for Officer Inuzuka.

"You know what I mean. What's the point of holidays if you still gotta work? Where's my three-day-weekend?"

"Why don't you go get a nice Federal desk job and then you can enjoy your three-day-weekend?" Shikamaru replied curtly as he logged into his computer.

"Fuck that. I'm not working no desk job."

Shikamaru didn't reply. Inuzuka looked like he was about to open his mouth to say something stupid again when Sasuke spoke up.

"Isn't K-9's office downstairs, Inuzuka?"

"Good morning to you too, Uchiha. Guess I'll get the fuck out of your hair. Hope you don't need anything from K-9 any time soon!" Kiba sarcastically waved as he made his way to the stairs. Shikamaru smirked.

"Thanks. I can't believe he's still bitching about having to work on Monday. It's been three days."

"Hm. Inuzuka's annoying."

"He's not so bad, but it's too fucking early and I've only had half of this coffee."

"..."

"How are you?"

"Shitty."

"Same."

Shikamaru let the small talk stop with that and worked independently at his desktop.

Sasuke tried not to think about the dream he had the night before.

8am turned to 9am and 9am turned to 10am before the captain made an appearance in the office.

Captain Hatake rolled in, late as usual, wearing his usual anti-viral mask, uniform somewhat disheveled under his coat, with a venti Starbucks cup in one hand, and that rough looking orange book of his in the other.

Kakashi didn't even look in his direction as he peeled off the anti-viral mask and said:

"Nara. Uchiha. In my office."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him and got up to follow Captain Hatake.

Sasuke stepped into the office last and closed the door behind him and Kakashi settled in to his desk.

"Captain Hatake."

"Got a case for you two. Just got the call on the way here."

Sasuke and Shikamaru nodded.

"John Doe found hideen in the bushes by jogger near the GW Parkway and Key Bridge."

"That's federal jurisdiction." Sasuke said.

"Yeah, well, they called us in too. Park Police are on the scene. They already suspect homicide and gave me a call. GW parkway is shut down for the time being. Made me late."

"Don't you live in Falls Church?" Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I moved." Kakashi deadpanned. "Now get on with it. Nara, check in with Asuma. He should have everything you need ready." Shikamaru nodded and left. Sasuke turned to follow when Kakashi stopped him.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said with a knowing look. "You got this?" _Could he handle a homicide investigation on the anniversary of the day everyone in his family died?_

Probably.

"Yes." And he turned to leave.

* * *

"Shouldn't this fall under ISB jurisdiction?" He asked as the law enforcement ranger led him through a thicket of vines, brush, and trees south of the parkway, on the edges of the ramp up to Key Bridge.

"Well, yes. Tricky business, really. Agent Yamato from ISB arrived on the scene around 9am. He suspects that the body was just placed here. Traced a trail that makes him think the assault and subsequent murder happened in your jurisdiction. Isn't working around here fun?" The ranger sighed and led him past the crime scene tape to the body. Sasuke inhaled.

He would never 'get used to' the sight of a dead body.

_He never could. Not after-_

The man was young, lanky, with a mess of dark floppy hair on his head, and a purple bruise that discolored the exposed side of his neck. Blood matted his hair. His eyes were closed and his body was curled perfectly into to fetal position.

_Blood, so much blood. It had dried in his mother's hair. It had been so cold that Izumi's bloody had frozen with the snow. His father—_

"Shit." Shikamaru muttered. "He can't even be thirty."

"No ID him so far." Came a new voice. A man in an army green police vest with messy brown hair and dark eyes approached them. "Kakashi sent you?"

"Detective Sasuke Uchiha. Arlington County PD." Sasuke stuck his hand out.

"Detective Shikamaru Nara."

"Agent Yamato, National Parks Investigative Services Branch," Agent Yamato shook Sasuke's hand. "Captain Hatake and I are old friends, so when I got called down to Arlington, I gave him a call first, just to check in, but then I got to the scene…" Agent Yamato paused and kneeled down.

"There's no sign of a struggle here. That wound to his head would have bled a lot, but as far as I can tell, no blood in the area. It's clean. And look how he's placed. Fetal position, carefully covered by trees and brush, covered by leaves and branches." Yamato continued.

"If someone wanted to keep a body hidden, two hundred yards off the GW parkway isn't exactly ideal." Nara scoffed.

"Exactly." Yamato replied.

"They wanted us to find him." Sasuke said as he surveyed the surroundings.

"Or they didn't have time or the means to move the body somewhere else." Shikamaru offered. Yamato shook his head.

"That's where it gets interesting." Yamato beckoned for them to follow him back towards the parkway. "It snowed last week; the ground is still soggy from the melt." Yamato pointed to footprints in patch of mud.

"Two sets of prints. They're deeper than the other prints around here."

"Like whoever left them was heavier." Shikamaru replied.

"Or carrying a load. See this?" Yamato pointed to sandy, tall grass, dead from winter. "It's bent. They left a trail. I was able to trace their steps back to Arlington, through Gateway park. These guys carried the victim across the god damn GW parkway and didn't get caught. It doesn't add up."

As Yamato led them back to the parkway, an Arlington County PD car and van pulled up.

"That must be crime scene and forensics. It's about damn time."

"That's our people." Sasuke stated lamely, wondering why the ISB agent hadn't called the Feds instead.

"Look, I'm gonna tell you what I told my supervisor and Kakashi," Yamato explained. "We're short staffed, underfunded, and backed up at ISB. It's better I send him off to your crime lab instead of just having the feds put it off. And, that kid was murdered in Gateway Park, I'm certain. That's your jurisdiction. He's better in your hands… Let take care of these guys and then we'll go to the park." Agent Yamato made his way over to the field technicians. Sasuke let his eyes take in the surroundings. The parkway was backed up with traffic since the right lane had been closed for emergency vehicles, but it wasn't the flashing lights of the park police cars that caught his eye.

Under the ramp that led up to Key Bridge, the concrete wall was littered with graffiti and patches of gray paint that the park service had used to cover up old graffitti. In the forefront of it all was a red symbol that caught his eye.

It was Japanese. The kanji character was encircled in a curling red line; a cloud, he realized.

"...I want a cast of these footprints, hey careful there! And want you to bag this piece of…" They heard Yamato say as he descended down into the brush towards the body.

"You want to follow him?" Shikamaru asked as he wrote in his notepad.

"Take a look at that." Sasuke nodded in the direction of the graffiti on the bridge. Shikamaru glanced up for a moment with feigned interest.

"Huh. Pretty ballsy to graffiti the bridge next to the parkway." Shikamaru returned to writing.

"The red is recent."

Shikamaru glanced up again with a slight twitch and looked at the red kanji encircled in a red cloud.

暁

"Akatsuki?" Shikamaru asked.

"Dawn." Sasuke went after Agent Yamato.

_On that day, when he awoke, frozen and bloody, surrounded by the dead bodies of his family, it had been the break of dawn._

* * *

"You both speak Japanese? That's damn convenient." Yamato asked as he surveyed the red graffiti. Before the field technicians moved the John Doe to the medical examiner's lab, Sasuke asked to take a look at the man's hands. His instincts had been correct. Red flecks of paint were spattered over his left hand.

"We'll have to get a sample of this paint too." Sasuke instructed the field technician as Agent Yamato got a closer look while another officer snapped some photos.

"Well, let me show you two what we found in the park and then I'll get out of your hair." Yamato took them over to his vehicle and and produced two evidence bags, one with a jacket and and another with a wallet.

"No ID or card in the wallet. Just fourteen bucks and a coupon for Potbelly's. There is however, blood here, see? The jacket didn't offer any insight into who he is either. Just a tissue in the pocket and blood on the sleeve, but I found it about ten feet from the wallet on a bench." Yamato handed the bags off the a field technician and showed them the tracks he had been able to follow.

"Do you have experience in, uh, tracking? You seem to know what your talking about." Shikamaru asked dully. Yamato let out a short laugh.

"Did search and rescue out west for a few years when I was young, and then I worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service… Not a lot of people with tracking experience around here. They always put me to work because of it."

Crime tape outlined where Yamato had found the coat and wallet. Yamato explained in thorough detail what each broken limb and patch of scuffed up dirt meant. Shikamaru took notes. Sasuke let his eyes wander and just see.

Whoever did this didn't care about leaving behind evidence.

Or at least, they wanted them to find what was left behind.

Sasuke wandered outside of the yellow tape. Gateway Park was an urban park, all open spaces, trees encircled in mulch, flower beds, and brick paths. How could an assault, murder, and subsequent moving of the body across the god damn GW Parkway all happen unnoticed?

_How did a wrecked car on a mountain road go unnoticed for thirteen hours before anyone called emergency responders? How did Itachi wander off into the woods for help only to never be seen again? How-_

His eyes wandered to trash can next to him. He reached for the maglite in his pocket.

"Detective Uchiha?"

"Agent Yamato, do you have any nitrate gloves handy?"

"Uh, yeah, hold on."

* * *

A can of red spray paint laid amongst the empty water bottles and Starbucks cups. Sasuke bagged it up to send off to the crime lab. While the park police were preparing to completely reopen the parkway, Sasuke insisted that they stay a little longer to sweep the area and Gateway Park one last time. The sun was hanging low in the sky before they parted ways with Agent Yamato.

"Well, it's in your hands now. If you need anything, give me a call." Yamato handed them his card before heading off.

"Well…" Shikamaru sighed as he climbed into the passenger seat of the cruiser. "That Yamato guy was interesting…"

Sasuke nodded.

"I just don't understand how the hell, if Yamato's right about the tracks and all, two people murdered a guy in a public park, carried him across the parkway, and dumped him in the woods without anyone noticing. We're gonna have to go through all the 911 records from last night, aren't we?"

Sasuke said nothing and merged onto the parkway.

"I need a smoke." Shikamaru sighed.

Sasuke needed a drink.

* * *

The sun had been down for several hours before Sasuke left the office. Shikamaru left after they finished pouring over 911 records from the previous night and turned up nothing.

_How could no one notice?_

Sasuke went over it all again to make sure they didn't miss something; they didn't.

Naruto had called twice, he knew why, and he didn't feel like dealing with Naruto's energy so he ignored him.

That day was almost over when he made his way home. He parked his car out front of their townhouse but he didn't go inside.

He didn't want company, but he didn't want to be alone and, dammit, he wanted some whiskey.

He made his way down the street to a dive bar off of Clarendon that he and Naruto frequented from time to time. It was nothing fancy, in the first floor and basement of an older office building, but it was cheap for Arlington and relatively quiet for a dive bar.

He sat at the first stool that wasn't next to anyone else and asked for an Old Fashioned. On the rocks.

He stared at the missed calls on his phone, tapped his finger on the bar, and waited for the bartender to return. He looked up when the bartender started to make his way over to him and that's when he saw it.

Jesus, he hadn't thought about her all day until now.

Pink. Pink on the opposite end of the bar. He inhaled sharply and wondered if he should chug the drink and run out the front or just abandon it.

There she was. It was pure chance and there she was, seated at the opposite end of the bar like it was a fucking movie.

The bartender set his drink on a napkin. The condensation was already beginning to collect on the glass.

He briefly thought about how that didn't make sense because it was the dead of winter.

He looked up from the glass and straight into those green eyes.

Shit.

She was looking right at him.

He looked back to the front door, he could probably get out before she realized who he was. Did she even know what he looked like? Naruto was annoyingly active when it came to sharing photos on facebook, but maybe… The bartender was saying something, but he was still trying to figure out how to escape unnoticed when he looked back down at the opposite end of the bar only to see she was gone. Where had she—?

"Are you going to pay the poor man or just keep him waiting all night?" A feminine voice asked. Sasuke blinked and let his senses return to him.

Pink. Right in front of him. Green eyes glowing.

Wow. She was really—

Embarrassed, he looked away to the bartender who stood waiting. Sasuke, finally realizing what he was waiting for, reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

"There you go." She said as he handed his card over to the bartender.

"Start a tab?" The bartender asked impatiently.

"Uh, yes." He managed to croak. The bartender shuffled off with is card.

He looked at his phone. 0:00am. Midnight. A new day.

He looked up. She was still there, right in front of him.

_That_ day was over and he was looking right into the glowing green eyes of the woman in his roommate's photo.

_**...TBC…**_

* * *

**A/N:** The murder mystery begins! And they finally meet! Yay! Now kiss!

Idk why, but Yamato being a park ranger is the cutest thing to me. Can't you just imagine him on hikes and bird watching? So cute.

I'm not a fan of lengthy author's notes, so you can skip the note below (not important to the story) but I wanted to address a few things. I apologize and A/N from now on will always be short! Anyway… **Long A/N below...**

I do want to acknowledge how I'm stretching reality a bit here; based on the many true crime shows/podcasts I love (I know, some very academic research methods here haha) while it's not uncommon in National Parks/Forests in the rest of the country to share/give authority of a case with local/state departments, I think it's unlikely that would happen in the DC metro area given the shear Federal presence in the area, and while ISB is understaffed, Quantico and the whole damn FBI is not far away, but eh… I'm getting to that in ~future chapters~

It's also unlikely that someone with a record as an adult (even as the 19 y/o that Sasuke was in the flashback) would be able to work in law enforcement… But just trust me on that one guys, I'm getting to it.

Finally, I wanted to acknowledge an anon review I got: Yes, Sasuke is not the only person in _Naruto_ that didn't receive the care he needed after childhood trauma. _Naruto_ takes place in a world ruled by militant states where children are made into soldiers. Trauma is arguably used to control them at times. It's awful, but it was a tool that Kishimoto used to motivate his characters/action. But, it has no place in my modern AU; Sasuke needed help with his PTSD to become the detective that he is in the fic. Of course, many people today still don't always get the mental health care they need either because of financial limitations (raises hand) or the stigma of mental illness or literally so many other things, but this is a story about Sasuke. And Sasuke, with encouragement from Naruto (who also had his own stuff to deal with), did. I didn't mean to trivialize the traumatic experiences of other _Naruto_ characters. I'm just not writing about them right now so I only mentioned Sasuke.

Finally, my work schedule is slightly slower than usual and I've made a lot of progress on this fic, so I'm committing to weekly updates on Saturday nights each week through April 6th of 2019. After than, I'm back to my third (yes, three, ugh) job for two months and will probably update infrequently/irregularly until the summer. Tonight's post counts for this week, so next update is on March 9th!

**Tl:dr:** Some of the police/federal agent stuff isn't exactly accurate. Everyone in Naruto saw shitty stuff and experienced trauma, but this is a story about Sasuke and Sakura so it will focus on their trauma from a present day perspective. And I'll be updating weekly on Saturday nights from now until April 6th.

Thanks, Nimmie.

_i do not own naruto_


	4. Chapter 4: Between a Sentence (Teaser)

It was the first hour of the twenty-second day of the second month and he was staring right into the glowing green eyes of Sakura Haruno. Could eyes even be that brilliant of a shade of green? How was that humanly possible?

_Oh,_ he realized, _he should probably say something, shouldn't he like maybe_-

"Hello," She laughed and slid into the bar stool next to him. "Did I spook you?"

"Uh," He gulped. "No, I just wasn't expecting… you."

"You know who I am?"

"Yeah."

"That's good, because I know who you are. That could have been awkward, right?" She chuckled. _So that's what her voice sounded like..._

"You're Sakura Haruno."

"That's _Doctor_ Sakura Haruno to you," She chuckled again, god, he did not mind that sound, "And you're Sasuke Uchiha."

"_Detective_ Sasuke Uchiha." He replied playfully.

_Playfully? Since when was Sasuke Uchiha playful?_

"Alright, Detective Uchiha," She took a sip from her drink. "It's good to finally meet my best friend's best friend."

_Well, shit, what was he supposed to do now?_

* * *

Sakura knew what was going on. She was trying to postpone the incoming bout of depression and anxiety by keeping herself entirely and fully distracted.

She'd been doing this her whole life. Intrusive thoughts would sneak into her mind and she'd keep them at bay with work, more work, exercise, anything. She'd make up research projects just to keep her mind busy and distracted.

In high school, she maxed out her scheduled, enrolled in every AP class she could, became a tutor, volunteered at the library, joined NHS, Aikido with Naruto, ran track and cross country… She even convinced her parents to let her work weekends at their bakery.

People called her driven or ambitious. They weren't wrong; she had big plans for her future and she was ready to work for it. They'd ask her, '_how do you manage it all?'_ And that's where the truth almost came out; she wasn't just ambitious. She was afraid. She was just trying to keep her mind busy so she wouldn't have to face that truth.

And that's how she went through her whole life; she committed herself wholly to everything she did, and if that wasn't enough, she found something else.

She dropped out of John Hopkins because it hadn't been enough. Her parents supported her as much as they could, but they owned a small business and could only do so much. Even with her scholarships and aid, she spent most of her second semester of college fretting over loans. How would she pay them off and go to med school? Would she even get approved for loans for the next year? She tried to busy herself to keep her worries at bay, but it didn't work. It ate away at her insides. She worried for her parents; she could see they were struggling to support her and it hurt her.

So when an army recruiter stationed on the campus quad handed her a flyer on her way to class one day, she made the decision to devote herself to something else, at least, for the time being. Something that could take the burden off her parents and make her path to becoming a doctor a little more affordable.

She had been a 'health care specialist,' but combat medic was the colloquial term. She had been on a base stateside for a bit, but then things changed.

She was sent to Iraq first, and then Afghanistan.

She always pushed herself too hard and that led to her discharge.

It had been a simple mission, but an IED threw a wrench in that plan… She can still hear that deafening sound. She didn't even think. She wasn't going to leave a single one of her soldiers behind. She was strong, but that day had taken its toll on her.

There's more to it than that, but...

She had slipped a disk. She never could recall exactly how or when, but the pain she felt in the weeks to follow confirmed it. She ignored it, afraid of leaving her newfound purpose behind… but she knew that plan was doomed. The only treatment for a herniated disk was rest and therapy… It became too much, eventually, she started experiencing muscle weakness. The pain would keep her up at night.

Sure enough, after a CT scan, it was confirmed. Herniated disk.

And she needed surgery.

She had been discharged. Medical. Honorable. None of that meant anything to her then. Her purpose had been stripped from her.

She tried not to think about it now, those months spent being a burden on her parents while she recovered from surgery and went through physical therapy. It had been a low point. Her mind had been allowed to wander and anxiety took over.

But she recovered the same way she always does; she threw herself back into her studies. She finished undergrad in record time. She didn't take a break before medical school.

If she kept her mind busy, she wouldn't think about the soldiers she'd left behind, the lives she didn't save. She stayed on the west coast where bad memories would be less likely to plague her. She had friends, success, a life…

But, she could feel it again. _It wasn't enough._

She was lonely.

When she was assigned to her residency in DC, she was ecstatic to be near her family and friends again. But it had been twelve years since she first left.

They were different.

She was different.

She was still lonely.

And yet, in this very moment, she knew it had been the right choice. Yes, as she stared at the bewildered look in those dark eyes in front of her, she knew it was right. A face so familiar, but still strange. So she took a leap, because that's what Sakura Haruno does; she's throws herself into things fully, completely.

She took a sip from her drink. "Alright, _Detective_ Uchiha. It's good to finally meet my best friend's best friend."

And that's all it took.

* * *

A/N: DEAR LORD. Y'all, I'm so sorry for not keeping up with my update schedule. Work really picked up a lot more than anticipated, but I'm back. I've learned my lesson. I can't keep to a schedule haha.

So here's a little teaser as an apology while I finish the next chapter. Sakura and Sasuke's wild night out will be up soon! (like sometime this week probs)

Thanks for all the favs and reviews.

_i do not own naruto. _


	5. Chapter 5: Sakura Haruno

And that's all it took, god, he didn't realize how easy it would be to lose it like that. She was here.

The anniversary of the worst day of his life was over and he was seated next to Sakura Haruno.

"Are you, um, here with friends?" He asked lamely. He'd never been a great conversationalist, but suddenly it seemed more difficult than usual to form a sentence. A question? He didn't know.

"No," She glanced shyly down into her lap. "I live a few blocks away. Didn't feel like staying in so I went for a walk and then figured I could use a drink before I headed back home. It's cold."

"A beer blanket?"

"A veil of vodka." She held up her drink. Red, clear, and ice.

"Vodka cranberry?"

"Don't make fun of me like Naruto would." She took a sip. "It's delicious and cheap." She took another sip. He grinned.

"I won't make fun of you." Suddenly feeling very conscious of his grin, he looked away and swirled his cup. He took a sip as well. The pause in the conversation felt heavy.

"So… I think Naruto told me you're at GW Hospital?" He asked. He hated small talk, why was he making small talk?

_You want to talk to her. Don't let her slip away. _The thought drifted to his mind and made him shiver.

"Yep, trauma and critical care."

"Why GW?" He asked, pushing his thoughts aside. Sakura inhaled.

"They have a great trauma center."

"Hm."

"Aaand… I really didn't want to go back to John Hopkins. I got an offer, but… I don't know. It didn't feel right." She exhaled.

"Everyone tells me I'm an idiot to have turned it down, but… I didn't want it." She added.

_Oh, they've moved past small talk and on to feelings. _Sasuke shifted; why was he so insufferably terrible at human interaction?

"Plus GW has something that no where else has. Dr. Tsunade Senju." She continued, _oh, thank god_. "She's one of the best trauma surgeons in the country, albeit… a little unorthodox sometimes. But she's so badass. And kind of scary. She's definitely the Drunk-Aunt type, but I fucking love her. I can't tell if she likes _me_, but she hired me, so… And we have a lot in common! She was in the Army too and…" She rambled on and he was happy to let her. It was nice to have someone to listen to, to hear her thoughts so his own didn't seem so loud. He sipped on his drink.

"Oh god, I'm sorry," She stopped herself. "I just unloaded a lot on to you and we just met." She suddenly turned bashful.

"No, it's okay. Don't apologize." He said, suddenly wishing he'd eaten dinner; he could feel the whiskey. "It doesn't feel like we just met, I mean… There's a picture of you on the mantel in my living room, uh, a picture of you _and _Naruto. It's his picture." _Oh, this was not going well. _She blinked at him with those green eyes of hers. _Pretty. _

"Um, what I mean is…"

"It feels like we know each other?" She finishes for him. He nods, grateful.

"Have known each other. For years. Naruto talks about you a lot." He adds. "All good things."

"Better be." She laughs. "He tells me all about you too."

"All good things?"

"I'm not a good liar, Sasuke Uchiha, don't ask me to lie." She grins devilishly and he laughs. Her eyes seem to glow. _Is this chemistry?_ Because he's suddenly thinking about the way her voice sounded out his name and what he could to to get her to say it again. He's wondering if he could ask her on a date. _What would she say?_

The dead body by the parkway, the memories of his family, and the cold night outside: these things didn't feel so consuming, so debilitating, if he could juxtapose them with Sakura's green eyes. He sipped his drink and she did the same until it was empty.

"Well, I only meant to stop in for one." She said motioning to her empty glass. His heart sank. "But I could have another."

"I could too." _Was this happening?_ He didn't know what to do. He fidgeted. She smiled.

"Rough day?" She asked.

* * *

He had not planned to sit at the bar chatting with a woman until 2am (he was too old for that shit now), but that's what happened and when the woman was as brilliant (and beautiful, he admitted to himself) as Sakura, one did not complain. The conversation flowed easy, like they'd always been friends. She was bright and positive. She was real and genuine.

He knew she'd seen the worst of this world. She'd seen war. She saw illness and death in the emergency room everyday, and yet, she still worked to make the world better.

And she was witty. He liked talking to her.

He felt somewhat guilty for enjoying her presence as much as he did.

_Mom would have liked her too. _

God, he liked her. Naruto was right, he fucking liked her and he didn't know what to do about that.

He followed her out of the bar as it closed. She stopped on the sidewalk outside.

"I live this way." She pointed.

"I do too."

"Want to walk together?"

"Yes."

He wrapped his scarf around his neck. She pushed her hands into her coat pockets and shivered.

"Cold?" He asked.

"Aren't you? It's freezing."

"It's February. It's winter." He stated. She rolled her eyes.

"I'll have you know that I've spent the last four years in southern California. We don't have winter there. I'm still adjusting to the cold."

"Hm. Right."

They walked on. It was quiet. She shivered again as they approached the intersection to his street.

"I'm this way." He said, breaking the silence.

"Oh, I'm still up a few blocks." She was looking bashful again; such an odd look for such a confident woman. _Maybe she wanted…?_

"Would you, uh, like me to walk you home?" He proposed, unsure.

"Oh, uh, no. I'm fine. I'm tough." She replied back, jokingly flexing her arms. He didn't doubt her toughness.

"Okay. Well… It was very nice to meet you, Sakura."

"You too, Sasuke. Thanks for hanging out with me. It's been weird being back in the DMV. It was nice to talk to someone who doesn't know about all of my... baggage." _Baggage?_ She shivered again. "Well, I should head home. It's so cold."

She turned to go.

"Wait." He said softly, almost a whisper. He wondered if she'd even heard, but she stopped and turned.

He didn't know what made him do it. Maybe it was because he didn't know how to say what he was feeling; maybe he thought this would be a way to show her instead. He didn't know. He didn't understand, but he did it anyway.

He unwrapped his scarf from his neck and put around hers. She took a step towards him as he wrapped it around her neck. His thumb accidentally brushed her chin. It was his turn to shiver now. He could have kissed her. He thought about it, but what if she didn't want to be kissed? Maybe he should asked her... But what if she didn't, what if she just wanted a friend and he was being creepy_—_

"What_—_" She spoke, pulling him back to reality.

"Take that. Since you're still adjusting to the cold." He said, looking away and shoving his hands in his pockets like an awkward teenage boy.

"Thank you, Sasuke." She flashed him a big smile.

"Do you have my number? I have yours." He asked impulsively.

"You do?"

"Oh, god, um." He didn't think about how weird that sounded. "Naruto gave it to me, a few weeks back, when you moved here. He asked me to call you and offer to show you around town because he couldn't, since he's away working on the campaign…" She blinked at him. "I'm sorry." I cursed himself. "That was a weird thing to say. I'll let you_—_"

"You didn't call me."

"What?"

"You never called and offered to showed me around town." She pouted. He sputtered, feeling guilty.

"I_—_work, and you know how Naruto is_—_and it wasn't_—_" She placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"You still have time. You have my number."

_Oh._

"Um, I will. Maybe this weekend?"

"I'll check my schedule." She shifted her weight and stepped back. "Well, I should get going. It's really late and I have to be up for work in… three hours. Ugh. TGIF." She began to back away towards her apartment.

"I'll text you when I get home!" She added as she waved goodbye.

"Okay." He paused. _She had his number?_ "You have my number?"

"Yeah, Naruto gave it to me. In case I needed anything." She winked playfully. "Goodnight, Sasuke. Thank you for the scarf. I'll give it back this weekend."

"Goodnight, Sakura."

And Sasuke walked home. Sleep came to him easily for once.

* * *

He woke up to a headache and three (three!) texts from Sakura Haruno.

**2:37AM:** "Made it home."

**2:38AM:** "P.S. Your scarf is incredibly warm. Hope you didn't like it much, I may steal it."

**8:37AM:** "Sasuke, you're supposed to tell me you made it home too so I don't worry. Although, it'd be a lot easier to steal your scarf if you were missing."

He smiled and typed back:

**9:46AM:** "Sakura, you'd be the first suspect if I'd gone missing. The last person I was seen with. Motivation: to ensure you didn't have to return my 'incredibly warm' scarf."

He rolled over when his phone illuminated to display an incoming call.

_Wait, what time was it? And god, his head hurt._

He answered.

"Jesus, Uchiha, I've called four times. Where the hell are you? It's almost 10am." It was Lieutenant Sarutobi.

"I'm on my way now."

"Well, hurry the fuck up. Someone needs to encourage Nara to do something other than drink coffee."

* * *

Captain Hatake was waiting at Sasuke's desk when he arrived. Lieutenant Sarutobi lurked nearby. Nara was staring intently at his computer.

"Detective Uchiha, it's not like you to be late."

"I overslept."

"Right, well, this arrived from crime scene. They've been unusually speedy with their report." Kakashi handed him a file.

"Still no ID." Shikamaru said without looking up from his computer. "No matching missing persons reports. I'm still looking. And I sent Barnes to go collect security camera footage from nearby building. We should have that soon."

Sasuke nodded.

"The body?" He asked.

"With Forensics. Aburame is on it." Kakashi answered. Sasuke looked through the file.

"Maybe we'll get a fingerprint match."

"Maybe." Kakashi lingered and Sasuke took a seat. Nara sighed.

"They want to know why you were late. They took bets with Inuzuka this morning." Nara nodded his head towards Asuma, who was still lurking nearby. Kakashi shrugged.

"Captain, I arrived earlier than you do on most days."

"Uchiha, you have never been late once."

"I told you, I overslept."

"Was she good-looking?" Sarutobi inched closer and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Was who good-looking?" Sasuke sighed, not in the mood for schoolyard teasing from his coworkers when there was a murder investigation going on. Nara sighed again.

"Troublesome…. Lieutenant Sarutobi thinks you're late because you got laid. Inuzuka thought that was funny, but impossible; he said… Well, he said a lot of things that didn't make sense, but settled on a road rage incident. And the Captain thought you overslept." Shikamaru explained. "Just tell them who won so they go away."

"Captain Hatake won."

Sarutobi deflated and mumbled about stepping out for a smoke. Kakashi winked and patted Sasuke's shoulder before wandering off himself.

"That was fucking weird." Sasuke began to look over the crime scene report. "Sorry, I was late."

"No problem." Shikamaru said. "I was a bit late myself."

"Oh but they didn't take bets on you?" Sasuke grumbled.

"No, they did."

"And?"

"I got laid."

"Oh?"

"And now they're betting on who it was."

"I'm glad I'm not the gambling type."

Sasuke turned all of his attention to the report in front of him. Who was the man they found by the parkway?

* * *

"Do you want to know what I bet?" Nara asked later, looking up from his computer. "For why you were late."

Sasuke ignored him, but Nara continued.

"You didn't get laid, but…" Nara's eyes narrowed, examining him. "There was definitely a woman."

He wasn't wrong.

**_...TBC..._**

* * *

**A/N:** I've given up on ever predicting when I update.

Also, I love a little ShikaTema, so... we gonna see some hints at that.


End file.
